As many people experience extreme cold temperatures in the eastern U.S. this winter, they’re likely reaching over to turn their furnaces on at the sight of a thermometer plunge. Suddenly, they shudder at the horror: Their heat is broken. Anyone experiencing a furnace failure during a deep freeze might fly into a panic and wonder what to do next.

Their best course of action is to call a professional to come in and evaluate why the furnace isn’t running. While they can check some of these things on their own, it’s best to call a professional if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing. An inspection without a little knowledge could end up causing more damage to a furnace than there may already be.

A Dirty Thermostat

Sometimes a furnace won’t turn on simply because the thermostat has too much dust and dirt around it. The calibration of the thermostat can be affected greatly when dirt is excessive. A professional furnace repair technician will be able to scope out any thermostat issues immediately and can easily replace it. Sometimes if the thermostat is overly old, simply leveling it on a wall may be all that’s necessary.

Checking Vent Pipes and Filters

Vent pipes can have potential obstructions that prevent a furnace from turning on. A repair technician will check for this, plus any dirty filters that need to be replaced. All of these should be checked every few months, especially the filters. Preventing these issues will lessen the chances of someone’s furnace not turning on in the middle of the worst winter they’ve ever experienced.

Examining the Ducts

Cracking and unsealed joints are always possible in the furnace’s duct work. A professional technician can fix these during an initial tune-up of a furnace. But neglecting tune-ups annually can lead to the costly deterioration of those furnace ducts as well as dirt buildup that leads to lesser performance or complete shutdown.

McKee Energy Solutions can provide those tune-ups to assure that any furnace is running efficiently when it’s most needed. Located in Rhode Island, they know about how rough winter has been this year and in past years. They want everyone’s furnaces running optimally for those battling through the great cold snap of 2013-14.

Contact us now so it doesn’t lead to coat-wearing around the house until spring starts.